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THE AMERICAN SENATOR
you have been losing a lot of money and are foolish enough to
think you can win it back again.
Please, please come. It was to be the little cream of the year
for me. It wasn’t Jack. There! That ought to bring you. And yet,
if you come, I will worship Jack. I have not said a word to mamma about altering my plans, nor shall I while there is a hope.
But to Mistletoe I will not go, unless you are to be there. Pray
answer this by return of post. If we have gone your letter
will of course follow us. Pray come. Yours if you do come — ;
what shall I say? Fill it as you please.
A.T.
Lord Rufford when he received the above very ardent
epistle was quite aware that he had better not go to Mistletoe.
He understood the matter nearly as well as Arabella did herself. But there was a feeling with him that up to that stage of
the affair he ought to do what he was asked by a young lady,
even though there might be danger. Though there was danger
there would still be amusement. He therefore wrote again as
follows:
LETTER NO. 5
EAR MISS TREFOIL,
D
You shan’t be disappointed whether it be Jack or any less
useful animal that you wish to see. At any rate Jack, — and
the other animal, — will be at Mistletoe on the 15th. I have
written to the Duke by this post. I can only hope that you will
be grateful. After all your abuse about my getting back my
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ANTHONY TROLLOPE
money I think you ought to be very grateful. I have got it back
again, but I can assure you that has had nothing to do with it.
Yours ever,
R.
We had two miserably abortive days last week.
Arabella felt that a great deal of the compliment was taken
away by the postscript; but still she was grateful and contented.
CHAPTER V
“IT IS A LONG WAY”
While the correspondence given in the last chapter was
going on Miss Trefoil had other troubles besides those there
narrated, and other letters to answer. Soon after her departure from Rufford she received a very serious but still an affectionate epistle from John Morton in which he asked her if
it was her intention to become his wife or not. The letter was
very long as well as very serious and need not be given here
at length. But that was the gist of it; and he went on to say
that in regard to money he had made the most liberal proposition in his power, that he must decline to have any further
communication with lawyers, and that he must ask her to let
him know at once, — quite at once, — whether she did or did
not regard herself as engaged to him. It was a manly letter and
ended by a declaration that as far as he himself was concerned
his feelings were not at all altered. This she received while
staying at the Gores’, but, in accordance with her predetermined strategy, did not at once send any answer to it. Before
she heard again from Morton she had received that pleasant
first letter from Lord Rufford, and was certainly then in no
frame of mind to assure Mr. Morton that she was ready to de-
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ANTHONY TROLLOPE
clare herself his affianced wife before all the world. Then, after
ten days, he had written to her again and had written much
more severely. It wanted at that time but a few days to Christmas, and she was waiting for a second letter from Lord Rufford.
Let what might come of it she could not now give up the Rufford chance. As she sat thinking of it, giving the very best of
her mind to it, she remembered the warmth of that embrace in
the little room behind the drawing-room, and those halcyon
minutes in which her head had been on his shoulder, and his
arm round her waist. Not that they were made halcyon to her
by any of the joys of love. In giving the girl her due it must
be owned that she rarely allowed herself to indulge in simple
pleasures. If Lord Rufford, with the same rank and property,
had been personally disagreeable to her it would have been
the same. Business to her had for many years been business,
and her business had been so very hard that she had never
allowed lighter things to interfere with it. She had had justice
on her side when she rebuked her mother for accusing her of
flirtations. But could such a man as Lord Rufford — with his
hands so free, — venture to tell himself that such tokens of
affection with such a girl would mean nothing? If she might
contrive to meet him again of course they would be repeated, and then he should be forced to say that they did mean
something. When therefore the severe letter came from Morton, — severe and pressing, telling her that she was bound to
answer him at once and that were she still silent he must in regard to his own honour take that as an indication of her intention to break off the match, — she felt that she must answer
it. The answer must, however, still be ambiguous. She would
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THE AMERICAN SENATOR
not if possible throw away that stool quite as yet, though her
mind was intent on ascending to the throne which it might be
within her power to reach. She wrote to him an ambiguous letter, — but a letter which certainly was not intended to liberate
him. “He ought,” she said, “to understand that a girl situated as
she was could not ultimately dispose of herself till her friends
had told her that she was free to do so. She herself did not pretend to have any interest in the affairs as to which her father
and his lawyers were making themselves busy. They had never
even condescended to tell her what it was they wanted on her
behalf; — nor, for the matter of that, had he, Morton, ever told
her what it was that he refused to do. Of course she could not
throw herself into his arms till these things were settled.” —
By that expression she had meant a metaphorical throwing of
herself, and not such a flesh and blood embracing as she had
permitted to the lord in the little room at Rufford. Then she
suggested that he should appeal again to her father. It need
hardly be said that her father knew very little about it, and
that the lawyers had long since written to Lady Augustus to
say that better terms as to settlement could not be had from
Mr. John Morton.
Morton, when he wrote his second letter, had received
the offer of the mission to Patagonia and had asked for a few
days to think of it. After much consideration he had determined that he would say nothing to Arabella of the offer. Her treatment of him gave her no right to be consulted.
Should she at once write back declaring her readiness to become his wife, then he would consult her, — and would not
only consult her but would be prepared to abandon the mis-
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ANTHONY TROLLOPE
sion at the expression of her lightest wish. Indeed in that case
he thought that he would himself advise that it should be
abandoned. Why should he expatriate himself to such a place
with such a wife as Arabella Trefoil? He received her answer
and at once accepted the offer. He accepted it, though he by
no means assured himself that the engagement was irrevocably annulled. But now, if she came to him, she must take her
chance. She must be told that he at any rate was going to Patagonia, and that unless she could make up her mind to do so
too, she must remain Arabella Trefoil for him. He would not
even tell her of his appointment. He had done all that in him
lay and would prepare himself for his journey as a single man.
A minister going out to Patagonia would of course have some
little leave of absence allowed him, and he arranged with his
friend Mounser Green that he should not start till April.
But when Lord Rufford’s second letter reached Miss Trefoil down at Greenacre Manor, where she had learned by common report that Mr. Morton was to be the new minister at Patagonia, — when she believed as she then did that the lord
was escaping her, that, seeing and feeling his danger, he had
determined not to jump into the lion’s mouth by meeting her
at Mistletoe, that her chance there was all over; then she remembered her age, her many seasons, the hard work of her
toilet, those tedious long and bitter quarrels with her mother,
the ever-renewed trouble of her smiles, the hopelessness of
her future should she smile in vain to the last, and the countless miseries of her endless visitings; and she remembered too
the £1200 a year that Morton had offered to settle on her and
the assurance of a home of her own though that home should
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THE AMERICAN SENATOR
be at Bragton. For an hour or two she had almost given up
the hope of Rufford and had meditated some letter to her
other lover which might at any rate secure him. But she had
collected her courage sufficiently to make that last appeal to
the lord, which had been successful. Three weeks now might
settle all that and for three weeks it might still be possible so to
manage her affairs that she might fall back upon Patagonia as
her last resource.
About this time Morton returned to Bragton, waiting however till he was assured that the Senator had completed his
visit to Dillsborough. He had been a little ashamed of the Senator in regard to the great Goarly conflict and was not desirous of relieving his solitude by the presence of the American.
On this occasion he went quite alone and ordered no carriages
from the Bush and no increased establishment of servants.
He certainly was not happy in his mind. The mission to Patagonia was well paid, being worth with house and etceteras nearly
£3000 a year; and it was great and quick promotion for one so
young as himself. For one neither a lord nor connected with
a Cabinet Minister Patagonia was a great place at which to begin his career as Plenipotentiary on his own bottom; — but it
is a long way off and has its drawbacks. He could not look to be
there for less than four years; and there was hardly reason why
a man in his position should expatriate himself to such a place
for so long a time. He felt that he should not have gone but for
his engagement to Arabella Trefoil, and that neither would
he have gone had his engagement been solid and permanent.
He was going in order that he might be rid of that trouble,
and a man’s feelings in such circumstances cannot be satisfac-
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ANTHONY TROLLOPE
tory to himself. However he had said that he would go, and
he knew enough of himself to be certain that having said so
he would not alter his mind. But he was very melancholy and
Mrs. Hopkins declared to old Mrs. Twentyman that the young
squire was “hipped,” —” along of his lady love,” as she thought.
His hands had been so full of his visitors when at Bragton
before, and he had been carried off so suddenly to Rufford,
and then had hurried up to London in such misery, that he
had hardly had time to attend to his own business. Mr. Masters
had made a claim upon him since he had been in England for
£127 8s. 4d. in reference to certain long-gone affairs in which
the attorney declared he had been badly treated by those who
had administered the Morton estate. John Morton had promised to look into the matter and to see Mr. Masters. He had
partially looked into it and now felt ashamed that he had not
fully kept his promise. The old attorney had not had much
hope of getting his money. It was doubtful to himself whether
he could make good his claim against the Squire at law, and
it was his settled purpose to make no such attempt although
he was quite sure that the money was his due. Indeed if Mr.
Morton would not do anything further in the matter, neither
would he. He was almost too mild a man to be a successful
lawyer, and had a dislike to asking for money. Mr. Morton had
promised to see him, but Mr. Morton had probably — forgotten it. Some gentlemen seem apt to forget such promises.
Mr. Masters was somewhat surprised therefore when he
was told one morning in his office that Mr. Morton from Bragton wished to see him. He thought that it must be Reginald
Morton, having not heard that the Squire had returned to
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THE AMERICAN SENATOR
the country. But John Morton was shown into the office, and
the old attorney immediately arose from his arm-chair. Sundown was there, and was at once sent out of the room. Sundown
on such occasions was accustomed to retire to some settlement
seldom visited by the public which was called the back office.
Nickem was away intent on unravelling the Goarly mystery,
and the attorney could ask his visitor to take a confidential
seat. Mr. Morton however had very little to say. He was full of
apologies and at once handed out a cheque for the sum demanded. The money was so much to the attorney that he was
flurried by his own success. “Perhaps,” said Morton, “I ought in
fairness to add interest.”
“Not at all; — by no means. Lawyers never expect that. Really, Mr. Morton, I am very much obliged. It was so long ago
that I thought that perhaps you might think —”
“I do not doubt that it’s all right.”
“Yes, Mr. Morton — it is all right. It is quite right. But your
coming in this way is quite a compliment. I am so proud to
see the owner of Bragton once more in this house. I respect
the family as I always did; and as for the money —”
“I am only sorry that it has been delayed so long. Good
morning, Mr. Masters.”
The attorney’s affairs were in such a condition that an unexpected cheque for £127 8s. 4d. sufficed to exhilarate him.
It was as though the money had come down to him from
the very skies. As it happened Mary returned from Cheltenham on that same evening and the attorney felt that if she had
brought back with her an intention to be Mrs. Twentyman he
could still be a happy and contented man.
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ANTHONY TROLLOPE
And there had been another trouble on John Morton’s
mind. He had received his cousin’s card but had not returned
the visit while his grandmother had been at Bragton. Now he
walked on to Hoppet Hall and knocked at the door. — Yes; —
Mr. Morton was at home, and then he was shown into the presence of his cousin whom he had not seen since he was a boy.
“I ought to have come sooner,” said the Squire, who was hardly
at his ease.
“I heard you had a house full of people at Bragton.”
“Just that, — and then I went off rather suddenly to the other side of the country; and then I had to go up to London. Now
I’m going to Patagonia.”
“Patagonia! That’s a long way off.”
“We Foreign Office slaves have to be sent a long way off.”
“But we heard, John,” said Reginald, who did not feel it to
be his duty to stand on any ceremony with his younger cousin, —” we heard that you were going to be married to Miss
Trefoil. Are you going to take a wife out to Patagonia?”
This was a question which he certainly had not expected.
“I don’t know how that may be,” he said frowning.
“We were told here in Dillsborough that it was all settled.
I hope I haven’t asked an improper question.”
“Of course people will talk.”
“If it’s only talk I beg pardon. Whatever concerns Bragton
is interesting to me, and from the way in which I heard this
I thought it was a certainty. Patagonia; — well! You don’t want
an assistant private secretary I suppose? I should like to see
Patagonia.”
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